What do mobile detailers do in the winter?

**Joshua Centanni** · 10-03-2010, 02:03 PM

How do you go about doing mobile detailing in the winter? Particularly if you are located in a large city where people don't have personal garages for you to work in.

I'm curious to hear your input.

**JonMiles** · 10-03-2010, 04:03 PM

Down here in Florida, we typically just put on a jacket and deal with the cool weather, but we never have freezing temps. ONR helps make life easier along with a good space heater and a closed side canopy. Even on a 40 degree day I can get my canopy up to 65 or so inside.

**Mirror Detailing** · 10-03-2010, 05:19 PM

As is always brought up...I work my ass off in the freezing cold. Just takes a lot longer to wash a car than normal since I have stop once I loose feeling to one of my hands and go stand by a heater. I think the worse I have washed a car in was when it was a high of 28 and over cast.

**350z00m** · 10-03-2010, 07:29 PM

i usually do a quick spray down of the car make sure i get all/most of the heavy dirt off then wash it with ONR with HOT! water in 2 buckets! then change buckets if the water gets cold again! lol... i know its a PITA but it keeps my hands and me warm! lol

**Joshua Centanni** · 10-04-2010, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by JonMiles

Down here in Florida, we typically just put on a jacket and deal with the cool weather, but we never have freezing temps. ONR helps make life easier along with a good space heater and a closed side canopy. Even on a 40 degree day I can get my canopy up to 65 or so inside.

Nice. The space heater is a great idea - I hadn't thought of that before.

Originally Posted by Mirror Detailing

As is always brought up...I work my ass off in the freezing cold. Just takes a lot longer to wash a car than normal since I have stop once I loose feeling to one of my hands and go stand by a heater. I think the worse I have washed a car in was when it was a high of 28 and over cast.

It's good to know that winter washing can be done, the temperatures you're talking about is what I'm used to seeing.

Originally Posted by 350z00m

i usually do a quick spray down of the car make sure i get all/most of the heavy dirt off then wash it with ONR with HOT! water in 2 buckets! then change buckets if the water gets cold again! lol... i know its a PITA but it keeps my hands and me warm! lol

I'd be the hot water helps a lot!

What about compounding, polishing, sealing and waxing? Have you done any of those in the lower temperatures? How did that work out? Are these even possible when it's below 32 degrees?

**350z00m** · 10-04-2010, 08:08 PM

i would get all the poishing /compounding done before it get THAT cold....and when it does get too cold for polishing all u have to do is routine washes in the winter...

**Y2KSVT** · 10-04-2010, 10:05 PM

I know a lot of you guys are mobile. But do you ever consider having your customers come to you, where you can pull the car into your garage (assuming you have a garage)? I'm not sure I'd be taking on any work in the winter unless they had a garage to at least dry the car off in.

Do you have any problems with using people's water in that kind of weather? I usually take my hose off the spigot when temperatures start falling below freezing, which is actually coming very soon here in northeast Indiana. I'm guessing some of you have run into issues with frozen water lines?

Mark

**ballfan4141** · 10-05-2010, 07:27 PM

thing about the garage is I would want some room and a lot of lighting. I dont detail in the winter. this right now is the latest I have detailed into the year, but it is not my complete income.